Promise on the Pier
by IzumiYagami14
Summary: Every summer since, the digidestined take a camping trip together to commemorate their life changing experience in the digital world. The forest’s musical melodies sooth everyone asleep... all, but two... Each chapter takes place after each of the three seasons. Koukari. Please review!
1. Insomnia, Stars, and Stories

A Koukari fanfic

Chapter 1

Rhythmic tapping disturbed the quiet night, discordant to the crickets chirping around. The inharmonious ticks scurried through the summer breeze before disappearing from sight. They fell from ear shot of the kids sleeping, except one...

A pair of soft brown eyes slowly patted open, drowsy and droopy from the sudden wake of slumber. Two small hands rose and careless rubbed them open as the small girl sat up. The mysterious ticking noises that lingered around perked her ears, causing Kari to slowly unravel herself from her sleeping bag. As she quietly stood up, careful not to wake the other digidestined, she turned her head slightly from one direction to the other in search for the source. She cautiously tiptoed through the maze of sleeping bodies, the taps getting louder with each step.

Her eyes caught glance of the pier next to where everyone decided to sent up camp. Squinting her eyes, she barely made out a glowing distant figure sitting on the edge. Kari took a uneasy breath and reluctantly walked over. Her increasing heartbeat mixed in with the ticks growing louder the closer she got. The pier shook with each step as she made her way to the end. There, a small frizzy haired boy sat with his laptop on his crossed legs shining back at his face.

The still lake water on both sides of them echoed of the waves from earlier that day, but the boy's attention was too fixated his screen to notice. Dark rings emerged from under his eyes and his posture was completely hunched over his work. Quietly, Kari peaked over the boy's slouched shoulders. "Hey, Izzy."

Startled, he whipped his head around and became face to face with her. He took a breath of relief when he realized it was her, but then hitched when he realized how incredibly close her face was. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he twisted his head forward and back to the screen. "Hi, Kari," he muttered as the tapping returned.

"What are you still doing up?" She curiously asked him, slowly sitting down to the left of him.

He didn't even turn his head to respond. "I can't sleep," he said without a blink of an eye. Kari's brow scrunched inward at his vague answer. She brought her legs to her chest and rested the side of her head on her knees, looking at the boy. He looked too focused on the bright screen to catch any sleep.

"Oh, because you're on your computer?" She questioned as she looked out onto the dimly lit lake. Lights from other cabins shined onto the water, creating little white dots in the tree line.

"No," was the only word that fell from his mouth as he placed his head in his hands. Sighing heavily, he rubbed his aching head. He swiftly ran his fingers through his red hair and went back to typing.

She moved her gaze from the tiny lights down to the water, looking at her reflection. "Why can't you sleep?"

"It's complicated," irritation hung in his voice as her face grew with concern. Biting her lips, different explanations of his lack of sleep ran through her head.

Curiosity flooded her mind, pouring out of her when she responded, "You don't have to always keep it inside. You know you could always talk to me."

When her words touched his ears, he twisted his head towards her. The light from the moon lit her pale face as a breeze swept through. She carelessly looked out at the forest trees in the distance, completely unaware of Izzy's lingering gaze. The sight of her had him completely mesmerized, leaving him breathless. He was, for one of the first times in his life, completely lost in words, but eventually, he shook his head and stuttered, "I can never sleep... No matter how hard I try, the outcome is inevitable, so I just stopped fighting it. Troublesome as it is, I have adapted to it, but some nights, it's still tedious."

Kari looked at the tired boy next to him. "Like insomnia, right?" She whispered through her tiny lips.

"Presicely," he said back to her with his gaze now focused on his hands in his lap.

"Does anyone know about this?" She asked, looking at him and wondering if she is the only one that knows. Everyone in their group sleeps soundly mostly every night, even on these nights. It has become a tradition that they all take a camping trip together every summer since the digital world adventure.

"Negative," he replied, gazing back at her. "I didn't want to be a burden, really. I feel like it's an inner struggle I have to conquer myself."

Humming in response, she desperately wanted to ask him what that inner struggle was, but she decided to save that for another night. Instead, Kari looked up at the clear night sky and asked, "Do know any constellations?"

He smirked and said, "As a matter of fact, I know a couple." Closing his pineapple laptop half way and observing the star filled sky, he raised his right finger up, pointing diagonally left towards her. "You see the five stars that kind of resemble an M?"

Kari squinted as she scooted closer to Izzy, their legs barely touching one another. "Yeah, I see it," she eventually depicted it.

"That's Cassiopeia. And that one over there? That's Draco. But you see the bright star in the sky?" He glanced down at her.

"Yeah?" She questioned, eyes focused on the star at the end of his finger.

"That's actually the planet Venus," he finished.

Kari's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah, there is actually ancient myth between Venus and Mars," he replied as he continued to gaze at the planet.

"Please tell the story, Izzy," she pleaded, propping her head in her hands ready to listen.

"Well... Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. She attracted many with her pleasant smile and exquisite features. She fell in love with Mars, the god of war, however, she was already married to the graceless Vulcan, the god of fire," he looked back down at her saddened face.

"Oh no... what happened?" She looked at him with a gleam of a star in her brown eyes.

"Well, once a year, Venus will catch up with her mythological mate until a full conjunction occurs. After their reunion, Venus continues with her fast movement to move to the east each night, leaving her slow red lover behind."

"Incredible," she whispered out to the mysterious night.

"Yeah, pretty prodigious," Izzy whispered as he opened his laptop again.

Silence filled the air between them, but was disrupted by reborn patting of the keyboard. He was lost his his work again.

"We should do this again..." Kari yawned, stretching both her arms outward and almost knocking Izzy in the face. She looked up at him with her brown eyes. "Every night we spend together."

"Yeah, we should," he stiffly responded, not even looking up as he continued typing.

"Promise?" She whispered as she gently placed her head on his shoulder. Her short hair delicately fell over part of her cheek as she closed her eyes.

Izzy stopped typing on his laptop for a second to look down at the girl sitting next to him, eyes widened at her action. A light blush lingered on his cheeks, not knowing how to respond. "Promise," he eventually managed to muster. He continued to look down at the sleeping girl beside him because he was too afraid that she would wake up from his typing again.


	2. Nature, Toes, and Secrets

Promise on the Pier

A koukari fanfic

Chapter 2

Izzy did not hear the tiptoes on the pier for they blended together with the tapping of the keyboard keys in the night air, both creating one sound together. Kari quietly approached the boy, careful so she wouldn't get caught. Once fully behind him, she crouched down to his level and took a deep breath.

"Hiya, Izzy!" she screamed from behind him. He jumped abruptly, almost dropping his laptop into the lake. Nature followed suit as the fish underneath them scurried off and the birds above frantically flapped away from her voice.

"Hey! Would you keep it down? Do you want to wake up the entire wilderness?" Izzy said as he regained his position after juggling his prized possession.

"Relax, silly; it's just me!" Kari giggled. She craned herself over Izzy's hunched body so her upside down face was inches from his. "No need to be a Mr. Grumpy Gills."

"Mr. Grumpy Gi... you know what, never mind," he muttered, avoiding her gaze as he checked for any scratches on his laptop. "What brings you over here?"

She stood back up straight and walked to the left side of him. "You promised me that we would do this every trip, every night, every summer, remember?" Kari's eyes beamed at the seated boy as she stood next to him. Every year the group got together for this reunion camping trip, and the two always found themselves back on this pier.

Izzy exhaled, "Oh that's right..."

"If you're busy, I could just leave..." Kari whispered, turning her feet to leave.

"No, wait!" Before he knew what he was doing, he whipped his arm around and caught her hand. She turned her eyes to meet his, causing the blood to rush to his cheeks. _What are you doing?_ He thought to himself as his genius brain went blank. "Uh... uh... stay, Kari... I appreciate your company..."

Kari chuckled at his embarrassed face and grabbed his hand that was still on hers. "Really?" She asked, her face lit up from his plea.

His face was as red as the hair on his head, turning it away from hers. His stomach started fluttering inside when he realized that they're hands were still interlocked. _Why are you feeling like this?_ his brain continuously asked as he mustered, "Yeah..."

She tightened her grip on his hand and teasingly exclaimed, "Prodigious." Kari promptly took her rightful seat to the left of the boy. She looked at the space between them, noticing that every year it seems to get smaller. Either they are growing or the pier was shrinking...

Izzy scoffed at her comment and started to type on his computer, but this time, slower than usual. He was getting better at communicating with her. Some nights, he would not even bring his laptop. Kari was hoping that tonight would be one of those nights, but luck was not on her side.

She enjoyed his company. It was nice to get away from all the noise back home. She moved her eyes down the water below, staring at her clear reflection. "The lake sure looks peaceful tonight," she said to her reflection, hoping that it would reach the busy boy's ears.

"Mhmm," he hummed as he stopping typing for a second to look out.

"Nature sure is beautiful up north..."

"Mhmm... wait, what are you doing?!" Izzy yelled. He saw Kari untying her shoes and delicately taking off her socks.

"I'm going to dip my toes in the water," she shushed him as she cautiously placed one foot in after the other.

"I don't think that's sanitary..." he stuttered, watching her calm reaction of the chill hitting her skin.

"Relax, it's not like we're going to go swimming..." she laughed. "Wow, this water feels amazing. It's so relaxing... you should try it, Izzy," Kari closed her brown eyes and took a deep breathe.

"No thanks. I feel perfectly safe with my sneakers on," Izzy argued, crossing his arms.

Kari placed her hands together in a begging position and looked at him with her big brown eyes. " _Pleeeeeease_?"

He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he huffed as he clumsily untied his shoes and peeled off his socks. Placing his laptop carefully down to the side, he held his breath and solicitously stuck his feet into the cold lake.

He looked over at Kari, whose eyes were still closed as she took another deep breath. "I feel like this air is cleaning my lungs," she breathed.

He sighed, remembering that she doesn't have the best pair of lungs. "Yeah, there's a significant decrease of pollution due to the amount of trees. It makes it less of a struggle to breathe." He moved his feet steadily with the water, creating ripples with every move.

Yeah, struggle... she thought to herself, opening her eyes and looking out at the tree lines. She remembered something Izzy said the first night they were here...

 _I feel like it's an inner struggle I have to conquer myself._

"And how's that 'inner struggle' going? Have you conquered it yet?" Kari tilted her head toward him in curiosity, deciding now was the best time to ask.

The rhythmic movement of his feet abruptly stopped and Izzy stared at his reflection below. Visions of that dreadful night replayed in his head like a broken record player. His breathing slowed as his pale lips dried up. He felt like he jumped in the deep end of the lake and forgot how to swim. No matter how much he tried, he could not move.

"Izzy... Izzy... IZZY!" Kari yelled at him and shook a hand in front of his face to snap him out of it. His reaction terrified her. "Are you ok?"

He shook his head and ran his fingers swiftly though his frizzy hair, "Yeah, it's nothing..."

"I doesn't seem like just 'nothing,'" she glanced up at him.

"It's fine..."

"Izzy, what's wrong?"

He looked down at Kari's concerned face, remembering what she said the first night they were here...

 _You don't have to always keep it inside. You know you could always talk to me_.

Izzy inhaled deeply and thought long and hard for what he was going to say next. "Well... you know how I can't sleep at night...?"

"Yeah?"

"Well... um... when I was very young, before I met any of the group... I dealt with this... predicament... by myself."

"Not being able to sleep?"

"Correct..." he froze, not exactly knowing how to word the next part. "I never even told my... parents... so...uh... so when I was really little, I went downstairs to get a glass of warm milk to help with this problem... but when I approached the kitchen door, I overheard them talking..."

A sting hit the back of his eyes, but he dare not let the tears fall, especially in front of Kari. "I overheard them talking about... my adoption..."

Kari's eyes widened and she brought a hand to her mouth, "You're..."

"Yeah..." he stopped her before she could finish. "I'm adopted."

Water filled Kari's glassy eyes and her expression changed from concerned to comforting. "I'm sorry, Izzy. I had no idea..."

"It's alright. My parents confronted me about it a while ago, during our first Digital World adventure, but it never seems to leave my mind," Izzy whispered softly and looked down at his hands.

"Does anyone else know?" She asked him. Surely, she wasn't the _only_ one from the digidestined to know... right?

He let out a sorrowful sigh and looked out onto the lake. "No, it's just you, Kari... Since the first day you joined us, I feel like you are the only one I can talk to."

She placed a hand on his and looked up at the distraught boy. "I know it must be very hard on you, especially on days like today, but I hope you know that your parents love you as their own..."

"Yeah, I know..." he managed to choke out and looked down her gratefully. "Thank you."

"I'll always be here for you, Izzy. Of you ever need to talk about anything. _Anything_. Just let me know," she gently squeezed his hand and gave a little smile.

He inhaled a long, unsettling breath and let it out. He gathered up all his nerves to say what what on his mind. "I have a difficult time opening up to people, but for some reason, I never really had a hard time opening up to you," Izzy admitted to the girl sitting next to him.

The pair of faces froze as their eyes interlocked with one another. Izzy was definitely sure that Kari could hear his heart racing. Time seemed to stop as the two drew closer to each other. They shared the same anxious breath and it was til then that Kari moved her head to Izzy's shoulder.

Flustered by their mysterious magnetic pull, Kari thought it would be best if she ended their conversation for the night. "Goodnight, Izzy."

He let out an unknowingly held breath and replied, "Goodnight, Kari."

Izzy's heart dropped to his stomach as he looked at the sleeping girl on his shoulder. The moonlight brushed against her face, making her seem like an angel. As he was mesmerized by her natural beauty, realization hit him. _Am I... in love...?_


	3. Crushes, Songs, and Kisses

Promise on the Pier

A Koukari fanfic

Chapter 3

Bare feet walked down the long pier, giving it a slight shake with each step. Darkness from the sky casted over the still lake with stunning stars sparkling all around the water. Once she reached the end, Kari saw the older boy sitting with his worn down laptop on his legs. He wore an orange button down with a black shirt underneath and khaki shorts. Peaking over his shoulder quietly, she leaned down and playfully whispered his ear softly, "Hey, Izzy."

Goosebumps rose on Izzy's skin as he felt his face get hotter. Without turning his head, his dark eyes glanced to the left where Kari's voice invaded his ear. His fingers instantly stopped moving on his keyboard from her presence. Too afraid to twist his head to face her, he simply muttered, "Hi, Kari..."

She giggled at his flustered reaction and walked over to the edge of the pier. With her toes curled over the edge of the wooden dock, she took a deep, needed breath of the pine air. Izzy glanced up at the girl next him. She grew a couple inches from the last year they were here. The bangs of her short, brown hair was pinned back with a bobby pin and she wore a loose yellow tank top and pink shorts. He also noticed that she had a pair of earbuds hanging from her neck.

Kari stretched her arms outwards and twisted her hip to look down at the boy. Their split second shared eye contact caused Izzy to immediately advert his eyes downward at his computer. With a heart filled sigh, she took her rightful seat to the left of him. She noticed that his feet were already soaking in the chilly water as she dipped her toes in. The ripples from the two pairs of feet collided with one another, causing complete chaos with every movement they made.

She watched as Izzy placed his laptop to the side, leaned back with both of his hands propping him up, and looked out at the tree line. From the six years they have had this tradition, he has matured a lot. She recalls the very first night where he wouldn't even put down his computer, and now, he seems like he has stepped out of his comfort zone.

She followed suit and leaned back, propping herself up with her hands. Their hands barely touched each other as she looked out at the line of pine trees and said, "Sure is peaceful tonight..."

Izzy nodded in agreement, eyes still fixated on the other side of the lake. Kari looked over at him again, watching his expressions. His face was thinner and relaxed and his red hair was shorter and less frizzy, but, for the first time in his life, Izzy seemed to be finally at peace with himself. When she realized that her gaze was held a second longer than normal, a light pink blush brushed lightly against her cheeks as she moved her gaze upward. The stars above somehow managed to amaze her more each year. She wished she could pack all of stars and stuff them in her suitcase to bring home with her.

Taking her feet out of the water below, Kari twisted her body so her back was to the boy. Izzy looked over to the girl confused and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Relax, silly. I just want a better view of the stars," she replied as she laid down, resting her head on Izzy's left leg. Izzy's back immediately stiffened from the contact. She stretched out her legs, so they were dangling off the edge of the pier and looked up at him. Even though it was dark out, the bright red tint that was scattered on his face was highly noticeable. She smiled and looked up at the stars.

She was right; she did have a better view of the starry night sky. Remembering the constellations that Izzy would point out to her every night, she whispered, "Wow... it's so beautiful..."

Izzy looked down at the girl on his lap, eyes softened and subconsciously said, "Yeah..."

Her eyes darted from one star to the other until they finally landed on the bright light in the sky she was looking for. "Hey, look! There's Venus!" Kari exclaimed in delight, pointing her finger at the planet.

Izzy looked up to where she was pointing and smiled. "Hey, yeah. You're right."

She giggled at the sight and said, "I wonder where her love Mars is..."

Izzy sighed with his arms still propping himself up. "Very soon actually..."

The two sat in silence with the sound of summer cicadas hovering in the air. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, it was just a little awkward. Kari closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Izzy glanced down at her again, noticing that a piece of her hair was out of place and covering the corner of her eye. Out of impulse, he began to reach his right hand out toward her head and delicately brushed it away.

Kari opened her eyes to the action and looked at the boy above her. "Hey, Izzy?" She curiously asked.

"Yeah?" He replied hunched over her, trying to analyze her facial expression to see what she was going to say next.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" She whispered, still maintaining her solid eye contact from his lap.

Flustered, Izzy immediately looked away. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach and he could feel his body warming up from his nervousness. "Uh... I don't know..."

"You don't know? It's a yes or no question." Her eyes narrowed as she continued to stare intensely at him.

Izzy raised his right hand and nervously scratched his cheek with his index finger. "Well then, no I guess..."

Kari rested her hands on her stomach and giggled at his response. "Interesting..." She thought long and hard for what she was going to ask next. "Sooooo... who do you have a crush on?"

He exhaled his unknowingly held breath and said, "I think you already know who it is..." He moved his gaze from the cabin lights across the lake to the fireflies fluttering around.

"Oh really? You never told me..." Kari looked down at her hands. "And here I thought you said that you never really had a hard time opening up to me," she teased, moving her eyes to him. The sight of Izzy trying to avoid her eyes made her chuckle.

"Uh... Can we not talk about this subject matter? Oh, I know... How about we both partake in a good old swim?" Izzy attempted to change the subject.

Kari's eyes narrowed, confused at his suggestion. "I thought you said that the water was unsanitary," she teased him again, thinking about what he said three years ago. "Don't try to change the subject, silly. You're very funny when you're flustered."

He crossed his arms in defense and finally looked down at her. "Well, you're the one to talk. Everyone already knows that you and T.K. Like each other, so I can't ask you the same question."

Kari looked at him confused again, this time, lifting her head up and moving herself back to her regular seated position. "Izzy, I don't have a crush on T.K."

"You... you don't?"

"Nope..."

"Oh..." was all he could say for he was in disbelief that his calculations were incorrect. He unfolded his crossed arms and looked down at his reflection, unable to say anything.

A long, awkward pause stayed in the air between them. Kari decided to break the silence. "You still up for a swim?" Izzy shook his head in response. "Okay, we can save that for another time, then."

Kari looked out at the lake with Izzy, both of their toes in the chilly water. The bright moon above them was the only light that kept them from total darkness, mapping out their silhouettes. She took a breath and said to the older boy next to her, "This scenery has always stuck in my mind since we started doing this."

With widened eyes, he turned his head toward her. He could see her pale face from the moonlight full of content and her brown eyes closed, feeling the soft summer breeze. She opened them and a small smile grew on her face. Izzy's brow scrunched inward as she turned to him.

"It reminds me of a song I listen to all the time," Kari said as she unraveled the earbuds that hung around her neck and put in one of the buds into her right ear. Pulling out her iPod, she searched for the song. Once found, she smiled bigger and handed Izzy the other earbud. "Listen."

He gently placed the earbud into his left ear and listened intensely. Before the beginning instrumental mixed with the vocals, he asked, "What is this song called, Kari?"

She looked up at him and anxiously laughed, "It's a cover song called, "Stand By Me" by the Bootstraps."

Izzy nodded his head at her response and continued to listen. The song that danced in his ear made him realize that she was right. It was about the nights they shared on this very spot. As each word passed through his ears, his heart sank again, causing him to gaze at the girl intently. She always looked like a peaceful angel. Her eyes were closed again with the warm wind brushing her hair. She had her hands on both of her sides curled over the edge of the wooden pier.

His dark eyes moved from her right hand to his left hand. The distance between them seemed to always shrink ever year. With all the courage he could gather, he lifted his left hand and delicately placed on top of hers. She didn't show any reaction to his gesture and they continued to sit in silence together until the song was over.

"Kari..."

Kari's eyes blinked open to the sound of his voice and her head turned to face him.

Eyes still fixated on their hands, his heart raced as he spoke through his dried lips. "Did you ever kiss someone?" She smiled softly and lightly shook her head. Another beat passed before he asked, "Who do you have a crush on?"

She lifted their hands and moved them until their fingers interlocked. His breath hitched when she scooted closer to him. "I think you already know who it is..." she whispered to him, sharing the same breath.

The two pairs of eyes now locked into each other, not daring to look away. With the same magnetic pull from before, their heads began to lean in until their lips met. Even though the kiss only lasted a couple seconds, it felt like forever. Eventually, Kari pulled away to look at Izzy's pink-tinted face.

She giggled and placed her head on his stiffened shoulder. "It's you, ya goof... since the very first night..."

Izzy was lost in words when he looked down at the girl. He had no idea, that for six years, she had feelings for him. Once he eventually shook himself out of his trance, he said quietly back, "I... I like you, too."

Kari gently squeezed his hand from his words and smiled. "What now?" she asked, wondering what reactions the other digidestined would have once they find out. "I mean, we've been doing this for six years... it's going to be out of the blue to them."

He inhaled deeply and said, "Well, I guess we'll find out in the morning."

Closing her tired eyes, she whispered through her smiling mouth, "Okedokey. Goodnight, Izzy."

He looked down at the girl he fell in love with and caught her contagious smile. With a gentle squeeze of his hand and and delicate kiss on the head, he quietly responded, "Goodnight, Kari."


End file.
